Today's update

Today's update will begin with a couple of photos which were actually taken yesterday after yesterday's entry. This is a substantial deviation from long standing practice but I feel that these photos are of sufficient general interest to justify this upheaval.

Most of the photos I am likely to publish are taken from the top of the dune. Last night I walked down the steps to the beach with the intention of walking up the shore to the county park about one-half mile distant. Mrs. Smith somewhat belatedly decided to join, she seldom misses an exercise opportunity. This is she descending the steps from the deck to catch up.I was thinking about going with some sort of artsy description of the photo, something intended to recall Nude Descending a Staircase. The fact that she is fairly obviously completely clothed rendered that idea so ridiculous that it gradually passed out of my mind and I have not yet come up with anything to replace it.

This is yesterday's prize winning sunset photo as taken by Wireless.The young are, as we all know, tech-savvy and she knew about and utilized a setting on her camera called, believe it or not, Sunset. It works.

I on the other hand am up early and this allowed me to take from just a slightly different angle but clearly out over the same lake this shot of full moon in the morning.The usual leader of our group ride was not available today due to more important activities so I was forced to lead my own ride. The usual Guest Rider was also not available due to the fact that she does not have a bicycle here that fits her. We intend to rent one but have not completed that detail yet.

Wireless, on the other hand, is able to ride the proprietess's back up bike with only a seat height adjustment. We were soon on the road.

We headed up the road north along the lake. We dipped inland after crossing the Pigeon River to make a stop at the West Olive One Stop.Wireless went inside to get us a package of cookies for energy replenishment and reported back that the cash register was being operated by what appeared to be the Missus.

We stopped again right after that for a shot of the picturesque railroad bridge over the river.Wireless is the most enthusiastic North American fan of French cycling minor national hero Thomas Voeckler. In fact, her enthusiasm is such that in Michigan she is known as, well, as Voeckler.

So Voeckler and I rode on towards the end of the stage. I had been the leader at all of the intermediate bonus sprint points but as we approached flamme rouge I well knew that if left to the final testing little rise up the dune and the following downhill run to the line that I had no shot whatsoever. So out on Lakeshore I started watching for a chance. I watched her over my shoulder and as we approached a truck parked along the side of the road with about two kilometers to go I discerned a possible opening. I soft pedalled for a few yards and sneaked into the big ring. As we passed the truck I hoped for a momentary diversion of Voeckler's attention and leaped up into an early sprint to try to get a gap.

Like Sandy Casar I was able to get the gap and like Thomas Voeckler she was able to hold the gap from increasing but was not able to close it down.

Old and crafty (and really slow) wins one!!!

Obviously it really really helped me that she didn't realize it was a race until it was too late.

RIP Susan Nelson